CHAPTER - XL INVESTIGATION OF OFFENCES – APPLICATION OF PROFESSIONAL TECHNICS AND ACTION PLAN AT THE REGION LEVEL ROBBERY AND DACOITY 1831. ROBBERY (1). Robbery is an aggravated form of theft or extortion with the element of violence or imminent fear. Robbery, if committed by five or more persons, becomes dacoity. (2). Theft’s ‘robbery’, if, in order to commit the theft, or in committing the theft, or in carrying away or attempting to carry away property obtained by the theft, the offender, for that end, voluntarily causes or attempts to cause to any person death or hurt or wrongful restraint or fear of instant death or instant hurt or instant wrongful restraint. (3). Extortion is ‘robbery’, if the offender, at the time of committing the extortion, is in the presence of the person put in fear and commits the extortion by putting that person in fear of instant death, instant hurt or instant wrongful restraint to that person or some other person, and, by so putting in fear, induces the person so put in fear then and there to deliver up the thing extorted. (4). Among others the following Modus-operandi adopted in committing robbery requires special attention to be paid for taking as well as assisting the public to take appropriate preventive measures:- (i). Intimidating lone pedestrians, scooterists and other vehicle users and taking away their valuables at the point of knife. (ii). Snatching chains from women going for shopping, temple or for a walk etc., the offenders come on motorcycles either with no number plate or tampered number plate or on stolen vehicles, snatch the chain from the neck, and disappear quickly. Note : Cases of snatching chain from women, though registered under separate Heads of offence under the Indian Penal code, should be dealt with like Robbery. (iii). Under various pretexts and guises offenders manage to gain ingress into the houses and under the threat of death or bodily harm rob the inmates of cash and valuables. 1832. PREVENTIVE MEASURES (1). People should be advised(i) to avoid unnecessary exhibition of their jewellery on their person, (ii) to be watchful about suspicious movements of persons coming nearer either on foot or on a by-cycle or on motor vehicle, (iii) raise alarm when the offender attempts to snatch the chain, in order to attract the attention of passers by. (2). People particularly, lonely women at home should be cautioned to be wary of persons who come with seemingly innocuous purposes, asking for drinking water or enquiring about address or under the guise of an electric meter reader, telephone lineman, postman or gas delivery boy, etc (3). Police should enlighten and educate the public regarding the different modus- operandi adopted by the offenders to commit robbery, by publishing handbills containing do’s and don’ts and by exhibiting short documentaries, through the electronic media indicating the precautionary measures to be taken. DACOITY 1833. When five or more persons conjointly commit or attempt to commit a robbery, or where the whole number of person conjointly committing or attempting to commit a robbery, and persons present and aiding such commission or attempt, amount to five or more, every person so committing attempting or aiding, is said to commit ‘ dacoity’. 1834. Robberies and dacoities can broadly be classified as those committed in (1) fields, (2) houses, (3) highways and (4) running trains. 1835. In nearly all such cases, criminals are armed and when victims protest or resist, force is used. 1836. When a first information of robbery or dacoity is made at a Police Station, the Officer- in-Charge of the Station, while recording the first information, should record in detail the time, sequence of events, duration of attack, language spoken by the offenders, weapons carried, disguises, if any, used, and note in detail the description and numbers of the offenders, the actual part played by each, the degree of force used by either side and the description and value of each item of property carried away by the offenders. 1837. While receiving complaint, side by side, immediately the Central Control Room should be informed of this offence and the officer incharge of the CCR will immediately instruct all Police Stations to operate the ‘Bravo Scheme’ so that the culprits might be intercepted before crossing the border. 1838. The Investigating Officer should ascertain the necessary particulars from the witnesses and record them in the case diary at the earliest opportunity. (1). After recording the complaint in the First Information Report form, the Station House Officer should despatch express reports to all the authorities. (2). It is important that such information should be disseminated to all the neighbouring stations and the Crime Record Bureau by the quickest means available so that those stations can also take immediate action and the Crime Record Bureau, from the information recorded therein, may also be able to guide the Investigating Officer. (3). If the criminals are not mentioned by name the Station House Officer should consult the Crime History of his station for similar prior occurrences and the criminals responsible for them. (4). Criminals, who were concerned in previous cases should be immediately checked and, if they are absent, constables should be deputed to their known places of vist and their relations, associates and friends. These will be found in their history sheets. (5). The Station House Officer should himself proceed to the scene with the required number of constables for his assistance, and inspect it paying careful attention to all the details including that of the modus operandi adopted by the criminals. (6). He should question the victims of the robbery or dacoity and the people of the neighbourhood. The victims should also be specifically questioned as to the use of force and injuries, if any, caused by them to the accused. (7). If it is established that the criminals are not locals, special parties should be organized at bus stands, railway stations, ferries, choultries, abandoned places and the surrounding areas inclusive of all hiding places and they should be combed. The neighbouring Station House Officers should be requested by the quickest means possible to make similar searches for the criminals in their station limits. (8). Information regarding movement of nomadic groups such as duck breeders, sellers of chandeliers and other articles of interior decoration etc., who are a moving group should be collected if they are seen camping in the limits. They should be thoroughly checked and their movements monitored. (9). Information about the occurrence should circulated to all the surrounding villages with the details of stolen property. (10). Information with details and descriptive particulars of the property lost should be sent immediately to the police of nearby towns where the property is likely to be disposed of. 1839. Whenever a dacoity is reported the following action should be taken immediately: (1). Posting armed pickets at vulnerable isolated areas/localities; (2). Checking the movement of suspicious strangers in bus stations/railway stations/ important National Highway Traffic Junctions where arrack/liquor shops are located; (3). Checking of inmates staying in hotels in towns and cities at odd hours of day and night; (4). Checking known receivers of stolen property; (5). Form special squads and depute teams of police officers to the border districts and neighbouring States and maintain liaison and exchange intelligence on a regular basis; (6). Intensify beat patrolling in the cities and towns and other outlying areas; (7). Intensify village beat performance in the rural areas; (8). Activise neighborhood watch committees and the members of Friends of Police in the affected areas and involve active citizens; (9). May install alarm or siren system wherever found feasible; (10). Check moving gangs; (11). Check previous offenders involved in serious HBTs, robberies and dacoities; (12). The local police should prepare an Action Plan at the region level, and circle and police station level with a view to ensure that the entire police machinery reacts swiftly to an occurrence of an incident of dacoity and mobilize the force deployed for prevention of dacoities. (13). The other regional SPs should also make similar steps to prevent and defect such crimes. (14). On receipt of information about occurrence or attempt at dacoities, the search parties to go on various routes likely to be taken by the culprits; (15). Most of the dacoity cases that occurred at Puducherry limits in the fast were committed by the gangs from other States namely Tamil Nadu, Andra and some northern States like UP/Bihar and hence steps to be taken to liaise with the Police of other States; 1840. The following preventive and other measures may be considered with reference to the occurrence of dacoity; (1). On the vulnerable routes during night time vehicles may be escorted by Armed policemen wherever necessary in a convoy; (2). In the affected and vulnerable routes Armed pickets at regular intervals should be positioned and they should be provided with road blocking equipment, torches, arms and ammunition and wireless sets; (3). In the case of state borders, the wireless network of the police station on either side of the border should be on the same frequency and these police stations should be provided with transport and a striking force; (4). The jurisdictional police instead of merely chasing the criminals in one particular direction should alert all adjoining police stations to verify the movements of suspicious persons; (5). To facilitate quick communication, the telephone numbers of people volunteering to help the police in different areas may be listed out and indicated on the maps in the police station so that information could be communicate quickly to those place regarding any occurrence and the need for look out; (6).